Immigration backlash or not?

I read this article in the Washington Post, and although it is on an important topic—the possible backlash against the immigration rallies—I found it annoying, probably because I have recently graded a load of term papers in my US-Latin American Relations class, and this article had some of the same common problems. In short, it has a clear hypothesis, but then does not provide sufficient evidence to support it.

The article’s main argument is the following:

While a series of marches focused much of the nation's attention on the plight of illegal immigrants, scores of other Americans quietly seethed. Now, with the same full-throated cry expressed by those in the country illegally, they are shouting back.

In short, the immigration rallies have created a significant backlash, and the article goes on to suggest that this will hurt the movement. Pretty strong stuff. I focused in particular on the idea that there is “the same full-throated cry” by those who disagree with the intent of the rallies. Given that there were hundreds of thousands of people, rallies all over the country, etc. then we would need to see evidence of something similar, or at least polls showing the backlash. Instead, the article provides:

--a seemingly random selection of quotes from 3-4 people
--the spokesman for John Cornyn (who himself apparently did not have the same full-throated cry, so passed it off to staff)
--a quote from Tom Tancredo, who said he had attended a dinner where people agreed with his views

I think the issue of backlash is extremely important, and deserves real attention. It is disappointing to see such a hash made of it in the Post.